Can I get the £16 ticket and then decide on the day if I want to return from Chichester or Bournemouth or do I have to be specific when I buy the ticket ?

I think unless you definitely want to finish in Christchurch (NOT Chichester!!) then get a return to Bournemouth. It is the same price, after all, and the station furthest away from London, and I see nothing in the terms and conditions saying you have to travel to the station specified. I am not sure how they could tell where you got on/off anyway.

Plus don't worry about what train you specify to come back: the train time is not printed on the ticket and you are not committed to any particular train

Note also that the reference number for collecting your ticket from the machine is the "collection reference' (on the email) or "Ticket reference" on the confirmation screen after you book, not the "booking confirmation" which is displayed prominently on both and still appears in huge letters at the top of the email (on the confirmation screen at least they have put the ticket reference first). On the email you have to scroll down nearly to the bottom to find the "collection reference".

It's a hell of a way to run a railroad!

The sea temperature at Bournemouth today is 18.3 degrees, by the way (which is good: about as good as it gets in English seas)

The 16.16 from nor the Beachcomber Cafe left 3 mins early last Sat, so I could immediately catch the slow and changed to fast at S'ton.

If using this X1 service suggest arrive a few mins early at your stop. Superb walk, whichever variation or direction. God idea to start at Chewton Bunny in view of severe lanslip east of there, unless v strong wind and sand in your face

Well done Walker for posting this walk.

Walkers applied copious sun block on the train where one "invented" a new song "The Loco-lotion"

The Chewton Bunny was nowhere to be seen - perhaps hidden in the sea mist?

Then onto sun, sand, swimming, paddling, sea and plenty of seaside treats - ah bliss!

Shame on South West Trains for only providing a five coach train on the 6:59 pm service from Bournemouth to Waterloo on the Saturday after most schools break up for the Summer Holidays.

Hooray for the SWT guard who "declassified" First Class so that at least some of the standing folks could grab a seat!

Awesome Walk

Sandy Toes

19 on this walk, travelling down on a full train with some standing later on - Waterloo at 8.30 am was already busy. Arriving and getting on the bus we were shocked to drive into a sea mist, which lasted for the first half hour or so of the walk. But it soon cleared to a gorgeous day of breezy sunshine , the breeze keeping temperatures pleasant but never making it cold - many of us were in shorts and short sleeves all day.

Chewton Bunny (a wooded valley leading to the sea) was a pretty way to start the walk. Once the mist cleared 10 of us had a glorious swim in lovely blue waters and light waves. The group then broke up a bit at lunch on the very busy Avon Beach at the mouth of Christchurch Harbour. Ten of us went to the pub (the Haven Harbour Inn??) while a few tried the cafe. We were told the food would take 40 minutes to arrive and this was about right. It was pleasant if not exactly inventive (scampi and chips etc).

Crossing to Mudeford Spit on the ferry (a boat ride makes it feel like a proper holiday!), we admired its £200,000 beach huts and then climbed up onto Hengistbury Head, with by now lovely clear views of the Isle of Wight. By this time the group had fragmented even more, so my account now becomes very partial (anyone else, feel free to add your experiences). Four of us had a second glorious swim in metre high waves just beyond the headland and then went for tea at the Hiker's Cafe with its eager band of crumb-scavenging starlings. It seemed too early to finish at Chistchurch (somewhat to my regret as I love that route) but I know one or two other walkers did say the intended to do this and maybe did. We instead continued in the golden late afternoon light along the coast to Boscombe. Halfway I switched sub groups when I met three others having tea in a cafe. We then followed the route inland from Boscombe (I hope no one got confused here: the zigzag path in the directions is about 700 metres after the pier, not the one immediately after) and got the 7.22 train.

All standard class seats on this had filled before we got on it (shame on SWT for operating five carriages only on such a day at such a time, and when they have a cheap ticket offer on). So we sat in First, prepared to pay the Weekend First upgrade of £10-15 if asked. But we never were asked - I guess the train was too full for ticket checks - so we rode back to London in comfort at no extra cost, acquiring a couple of Mottisfont walkers on the way.

All agreed, I think, a lovely day out - a whole beach holiday in one day.

Walker -since the recent Sandling walk was very well attended it might be a good idea to kindly post a variety of different swimming walks regularly over the summer ? I mean to different parts of the coast if possible..?

There is supposed to be a second heatwave at the end of the month, begin.of August. Thanks

20 walkers, only a few of whom did actually go swimming, on Saturday's swimming walk; and zero confirmed attendees on Sunday's swimming walk. How does that make it a very decent turnout, necessitating more swimming walks?

I am not arguing with you - whoever you are.. It wasn't very hot on Sunday! perhaps that is why no-one went to the Folkestone walk?..

As someone who never goes swimming on a walk I very much like to be by the sea & appreciate such walks. Perhaps they should be billed sea/swimming walks - none are only about swimming.

Just for information, all the foregoing comments were made BEFORE the walk was chosen and posted.

Please keep adding the 'swimming walks' however you choose to bill them. We did the Sandling one mid-week on that hottest Wednesday ever and it was bliss to plunge into the sea at Sandgate. Just being by the sea -- whether you swim or not -- is glorious in this hot and dry weather.

agree anon, pass on this walk too early & expensive ! thanks anyway

Saturday 11 July: Christchurch to Barton: 8 braved an early start and a pricey rail ticket to do this walk, 7 of whom swam in the sea,. (Btw: I was the only male: why does sea swimming seem to appeal more to the distaff side?)

Despite clouds on the way down the weather was sunny but breezy all day: that is, the clouds stopped at the coast and we were nearly always on the right side of them. The wind was a little chilly at times but never massively so.

Our first swim was at Hengistbury Head, where the sea was clear in a way it never is in the south east and sparkled under deep blue skies. Some then walked over the headland and others along the beach where we mixed with the smart set (beach huts here cost £200,000+) and had dejeuner at the Beach House cafe.

After a short ferry ride across the mouth of the harbour we were for a time back among the hoi polloi on the mysteriously popular but rather grotty main beach for Christchurch, but soon escaped into the more refined environs of Highcliffe Castle up on the cliff top. Here half of us had tea, while half went to the beach below for another swim.

We all then combined to walk along the surprisingly wild beach towards Barton, but one decided (probably wisely) to take an inland route at Chewton Bunny (not a misprint: it is really called this). The rest of us frolicked in the lively surf before finding a path over the landslip, an exercise in navigation (and foolhardiness probably). We ate dinner at the Beachcomber Cafe and enjoyed its view of the Isle of Wight. Taxis to the station for the 7.37 train cost just £5.30 per car, which is probably cheaper than the bus fare.